Red Sox News: Hard work lands Rob Refsnyder a one-year extension
The Boston Red Sox continue to make moves to try and solidify their depth for beyond the 2023 season.
The latest piece is outfielder Rob Refsnyder.
Refsnyder officially signed a one-year extension with the Red Sox that secures him in Boston through the 2024 season. There is also a club option for the 2025 season.
The 32 year old outfielder has made the most of his opportunities with the Red Sox. In 2022, he hit for a .307 average in 57 games and continuously hit well against left-handed pitching.
2023 has also been a good campaign so far for Refsnyder as he is hitting .284 with an .803 OPS.
Boston Red Sox keeping a steady bat in Rob Refsnyder
The outfield gets their credit for their hitting performances. Masataka Yoshida has hit his stride. Alex Verdugo continues to have ahot first third of the season. Jarren Duran is finding his swing in the Major Leagues. But Refsnyder gets a little lost in the shuffle.
Now, he’s not playing everyday like the other three guys I just mentioned. But that’s okay!
Especially against left-handed pitching, get Refsnyder in there as much as possible. The extra base hits are a bit low, only six out of 23 hits being for doubles or better. But the average is still up close to .300, which is great for this Red Sox team.
Boston Red Sox getting quality insurance in Rob Refsnyder
It’s always good to have platoon players that can play multiple positions and give guys off days. Then there are the opportunities to play when guys get hurt, get called up and down, etc.
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But look at what has happened so far this season. Yoshida had an injury stint early on in the season. Duran has been battling for a few years now with the constant struggle of “too good for AAA” and “not good enough in the MLB”.
So when you have a steady presence in Rob Refsnyder, it at least helps with the production from the outfielders.
Especially with this Red Sox team that has the likes of Rafael Devers and others in this lineup that can mash on a nightly basis!
The bottom line with the Boston Red Sox and Rob Refsnyder
This is a classic case of a low-risk, high-reward type of signing. It isn’t going to cost the Boston Red Sox a lot of money and you hope for the production to stay up at a somewhat consistent level.
You have to feel good for a guy like Rob Refsnyder. A seemingly nice guy that works hard and had multiple minor league contracts from 2018-2021.
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The guy just needed a chance to prove that he belongs at the Major League level. Now he’s proving he can be a key guy on a team that’s looking to fight for the playoffs.
Hopefully, this Red Sox team will give us more signings and potential trades to look forward to as the season marches on.
But for now, we’ll give Refsnyder his due diligence in securing his roster spot for at least the 2024 season.